• Shepherd has an entire office devoted to helping you further your own professional or academic career
  • http://www.shepherd.edu/career-center

• Many tutorials around grad school and job topics are available (resume/CV, interviews, personal statements, etc.)
  • http://www.shepherd.edu/career-center/tutorials

• You pay for these!!

Shepherd’s fall career fair:

• There are many different career paths available in the biological sciences

• Some of these are not obvious, but could be the most interesting and/or fulfilling to you

• In some cases education beyond the B.S. level is required

• Career positions in biology (including salary, benefits, responsibilities) are generally commensurate with your level of experience and/or education

• Undergraduate student: internship (paid or unpaid) working with someone else

• B.S. or M.S. degree: technician/assistant; somewhat independent, performs key tasks within parameters set by the boss

• Ph.D./M.D.: guides overall mission, makes decisions

• Many people are tired after four years of college and don’t want to go to more school…

• Consider whether you might want:
  • To do advanced work in a subject (guide your own research/activities)
  • A profession that requires specialization (skill set requires more advanced classes)
  • A job that requires an advanced degree (e.g. some government positions)

• Graduate school directories:
  • http://www.shepherd.edu/career-center/graduate-school

• Academic and hospital research
• Biotechnology
• Dentistry
• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Food industries
• Forensic science
• Gov’t agencies (FBI, FDA, DNR, NASA, USDA)
• Graduate school
• Law
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Pharmaceuticals
• Physical therapy
• Physician assistant
• Public health

• Science writing or journalism
• Veterinary medicine
• Wildlife management
• Science Communication

• Being a part of a new discovery is exciting!

• This course: give you the taste of a long-term research project

• Research careers are possible at many levels, in many settings, and in many different capacities

• Science has entered a new realm of BIG data
  • combining data sets to understand larger patterns

• You might like a research career if you:
  • Enjoy problem solving
  • Working with your hands (in a lab or outside)
  • Don’t mind an unconventional schedule

• Biomedical Research: physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular biology, bacteriology, virology, anatomy, neuroscience, cell biology, developmental biology, oncology, genetics, immunology, space physiology, embryology, kinesiology

• Biological research in the field: agriculture, botany, horticulture, plant taxonomy, paleobotany, evolutionary biology, phycology, ecology, environmental science, ichthyology, forensic biology, forensic anthropology, parasitology, entomology, ornithology, marine biology, vertebrate zoology, herpetology, wildlife biology, invertebrate zoology, biophysics, bioethics, conservation science

• Data analytics: includes both fields above

• Each setting has advantages and disadvantages
  • Academic – small primarily undergrad institution (Shepherd)
    • Great freedom, undergrad students
    • low budget, lack of equipment
  • Academic – large research institution (WVU)
    • Great freedom, advanced equipment, graduate students
    • constant scramble for grant money
  • Industrial – biotech, pharmaceutical, agriculture (Pfizer, Monsanto)
    • Advanced equipment, staff focused on a single task
    • No freedom
  • Government (Department of Defense)
    • Some degree of freedom
    • Red tape, scramble for money

• All levels of government (federal, state, local) employ biologists.
  • Environmental regulator (rivers and streams, fish and wildlife, forest management)
  • Park ranger or interpreter
  • Water quality
  • Waste management
  • County extension agent
  • Science policy
  • Food safety
  • Drug approval
  • Occupational health and safety
  • Biodefense

• Other careers work with gov’t to further scientific goals:
  • Administrator/Researcher for a nonprofit or health group
  • Lobbyist (science, technology, and education)

• Educators teach others about biology and its impact on their lives
  • K-12 teacher
  • Technical training school teacher
  • University/college professor
  • Less formal science educator—museums, parks, internet
  • Work with publishers on science outreach materials
  • Work for nonprofit on science education outreach

• You might like an education career if you:
  • Enjoy working with students
  • Want to help shape the next generation of scientists
  • Can communicate and present effectively

• These positions provide support to others carrying out biological research or education
  • Professional societies
  • Grants administrator (government or nonprofit)
  • University administrator (office of research, grants, compliance, safety)
  • Project management at pharmaceutical or biotechnology company

• You might like an administrative career if you:
  • Have strong organizational and writing skills
  • Can communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders

• There are many forms of scientific writing and/or editing
  • Scholarly publishing—editorial assistant
  • Technical writing
  • Marketing
  • University or professional society media relations
  • Government
  • Journalism (including the internet)
  • Scientific/medical illustration

• You might like a writing career if you:
  • Are a strong written communicator
  • Have outstanding research or investigative skills
  • Enjoy working under deadlines

• Figure out what you want to do with your life
  • Just joking

• Come up with a list of 3 or 4 jobs or positions that interest you

• We’re going to use these in the next several classes to prepare job application materials